Eau Claire in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Eau Claire

"Wisconsin's Second City"

Photographed by William J. Toman, June 12, 2011

1. Eau Claire Marker

Inscription. Eau Claire grew up overnight. Lumbermen rushed to exploit its prime location at the junction of the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers. Gilbert Chapman and Joseph Thorpe began sawing timber on the banks of the Eau Claire River in 1857. A few miles away, the Daniel Shaw Lumber Company and Empire Lumber operated sawmills near the entrance of Half Moon Lake. Into these sawmills poured workers. Settlers and supplies arrived daily by stage or twice weekly by steamboat. By December of 1857, the population swelled to nearly 800, up from a handful the year before. Wilson, Gray and Bellinger advertised 150 lots in the west side's Eau Claire Telegraph. Chapman and Thorpe promoted 250 east-side lots in the Eau Claire Times. Fifteen years later in 1872, East, West, and North Eau Claire officially incorporated as the City of Eau Claire. Driven by the lumber boom, the population soared to nearly 22,000 by 1885. Optimistic city boosters predicted a bright future, when Eau Claire would stand as "Wisconsin's Second City," surpassed only by Milwaukee.

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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1857.

Location. 44° 48.578′ N, 91° 30.18′ W. Marker is in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in Eau Claire County. It is at the intersection of First Avenue and Grand Avenue, on the left when traveling south on First Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Eau Claire WI 54701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Woltersdorf House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fournier's Dancing Academy and Ballroom (about 600 feet away); Eau Claire County War Memorial (about 700 feet away); "Haymarket Square"

Closeup of 1872 Bird's-Eye View of Eau Claire on Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William J. Toman, June 12, 2011

2. Closeup of 1872 Bird's-Eye View of Eau Claire on Marker

(approx. 0.2 miles away); Emma and Benjamin Stephanson House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Thomas McDermott House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mrs. Dewitt Clark House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Eliza Parrant House (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Eau Claire.

Photographed by William J. Toman, June 12, 2011

3. Eau Claire Marker

The marker is on the west end of the Grand Avenue footbridge over the Chippewa River.

View from Pedestrian Bridge image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Keith L, June 10, 2011

4. View from Pedestrian Bridge

Junction of the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 19, 2011, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,700 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 19, 2011, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. 4. submitted on June 22, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.